

Vanguard's Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF and Short Duration Tax-Exempt Bond ETF provide targeted exposure to municipal bonds with reduced interest rate risk. Short-duration municipal bond ETFs are compelling amid uncertain interest rate trajectories, offering investors lower volatility compared to traditional long-duration muni funds. VTES, launched in early 2023, and VSDM, introduced in fall 2024, differ primarily in their duration profiles, catering to varying investor risk preferences.

The Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF offers a lower expense ratio than the VanEck Short Muni ETF. The Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF has assets under management of $2.1 billion, making it significantly larger than the VanEck alternative.

Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF features a lower expense ratio and a larger assets under management (AUM) than Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF. Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF provides federal tax-exempt income, whereas Vanguard Short-Term Bond ETF targets taxable government and corporate securities.

If you own the Vanguard Tax-Exempt Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:VTEB), the pitch that sold you is easy to defend.

Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF (VTES) provides a lower expense ratio while managing a significantly larger asset base than VanEck Short Muni ETF (SMB). SMB has a longer historical track record and has generated a higher total return over the past 12 months.

iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF offers a slightly lower expense ratio and a higher trailing-12-month dividend yield than Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF focuses on federal tax-exempt municipal bonds, while iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF holds investment-grade corporate debt iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF has shown higher total returns over the last year and three-year periods compared to the Vanguard fund

Schwab's SCHO offers a lower expense ratio and higher trailing-12-month dividend yield than Vanguard's VTES. VTES targets municipal bonds to provide federal tax-exempt income, whereas the Schwab fund holds taxable U.S. Treasury notes.

Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF offers a lower expense ratio and a significantly higher dividend yield than Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF. Vanguard Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond ETF provides income that is generally exempt from federal taxes, while Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF focuses on taxable corporate debt.
SEC filings for VTES aren't indexed yet — common for recently launched funds. Browse the issuer's filings on SEC EDGAR directly.